Two months ago, when Jamestown visited Williamsville North, it seemed well in control and on the way to victory having built a 15-point lead late in the game. Then, in the final three minutes of the game, Sterling Taplin converted a three-point play to ignite an improbable comeback that was capped off with a trey from Maceo Jack, to give North a thrilling 61-60 victory. The rematch saw Jamestown in a similar spot late in the game, but this time around it was the Red Raiders surged ahead late to finish off the Spartans.
Zack Panebianco continued his torrid scoring pace, dropping a game-high 31 points to lead Jamestown to a 67-54 victory over Williamsville North. It was the third time in the last four games that Panebianco has eclipsed 30 points. More importantly for the Red Raiders, the win forces a three-way tie for first place in ECIC I between them, North, and Clarence, as we make our way through these last days of the regular season.
In the early going, the game felt like it was going to be a classic heavyweight tilt. Five minutes in, , the teams were tied at eight points apiece and it was the fourth tie of the game. However the final three minutes of the opening quarter were pivotal to the tone of the game moving forward. Jamestown held the Spartans without a field goal over that span, and used a 12-2 run to build a 20-10 lead after the first frame. The packed gymnasium at Jamestown was already on its feet before the first quarter buzzer had even sounded, because 27 seconds earlier, Panebianco had passed up an open layup to feed a streaking Quinn Lee Yaw, who finished the break with authority.
Sterling Taplin opened the second quarter scoring with a two-handed follow up dunk. After the Red Raiders scored the next three points, Taplin responded with a deep '3' over a pair of defenders, making it an eight-point game. The Red Raiders then used an 8-0 surge that included back-to-back treys from Panebianco, to mount their largest lead of the half, 31-15. The Spartans were able to trim that deficit as the half closed out, and went to the locker room trailing Jamestown, 32-21.
Early in the second half and leading 34-24, the tides really began to turn in the Red Raiders favor. Lee Yaw scored six straight points for Jamestown, including two straight thunder dunks - the first coming off a beautifully thrown lob from sophomore Zacc Kinsey, and the second coming off two steps in the lane in the presence of defenders. It was all part of an 11-2 surge that was capped by another long-range bomb from Panebianco, that lifted Jamestown to the 19-point advantage they carried into the final stanza, leading 49-30.
During the first portion of the fourth quarter, Taplin scored eight points, Dylan Lambert sank a '3', and Sean Hill scored for the Spartans, who were desperately clawing their way back in. With three minutes remaining, Williamsville North had pulled back to within nine points, 54-45, and found itself in a better position than in the first meeting when they overcame 15 points in the same time span.
But on this night, the Red Raiders weren't letting history repeat itself. Panebianco ended the 13-5 North run with an energy-deflating 3-pointer and it was Jamestown who scored the next ten points to regain its 19-point advantage and finish them off.
Lee Yaw finished the game with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Kinsey added 10 points and six assists for the Red Raiders.
Taplin led North with 24 points, while Lambert added 15 points, including three treys in the closing stanza.
In closing, I have to rave about the newly renovated facilities at Jamestown. The upgrades to James McElrath gymnasium, or "The Mac", make it quite possibly the best venue in all of WNY, certainly rivaling the Bernard J. Kennedy Fieldhouse where Canisius now plays. They have new brighter lights, an upgraded sound and PA system, video boards on each end that show player profiles each time a player scores and tracks player stats, a painted picture of a Red Raider busting through the wall, and banners everywhere to commemorate their past success. Following the game, I was treated to a tour of the locker rooms, which have canvas print pictures of big Jamestown moments at Buffalo State, a video projector, a game clock, and individual locker areas for each player.
The entire environment makes you feel like you've entered the home of an elite basketball program. Having won three Class AA titles in the last four years, I'd say that's exactly what Jamestown is becoming.
-centercourt
Kenmore west is coming for that AA championship. Beleive that!
Posted by: K.B.D. | Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 02:22 PM